Access to WOLF program draws concern

Enrollment doesn't reflect district's demographics

Jul. 21, 2013

The Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility is located in the John A. and Genny Morris Conservation Education Center. The program is one of the district's most popular options. / Claudette Riley/News-Leader

Written by

About this series

Springfield Public Schools has proposed a trio of new “choice” or special programs starting with the 2014-15 school year. This week we take a look at the new options that are expected to be available to students: Thursday — Health sciences academy at Mercy Hospital Friday — Science, technology, engineering and math program at the Discovery Center of Springfield Saturday — New Tech, a project-based approach using technology, planned at Glendale High School Today — Questions about access raised about an existing choice program.

Learning from WOLF

As the academic success of the Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility became evident, the Springfield school district has looked for ways to take what is working there and spread it out. It’s a step strongly supported by school board members. “You can’t replicate the entire program,” said board member Bruce Renner. “But you can take parts of them and put them into the curriculum to be a benefit to all students.” Renner said as choice programs bring new ways of teaching and learning into the district, the goal has to be learning from the experiences and using lesson plans or approaches elsewhere in the district. “If we don’t do that, I don’t know why we’re doing any of these (programs),” he said. District officials said parts of the program, including an enhanced focus on hands-on learning, are now being used in various schools. An extension of WOLF started earlier this year. About 25 eighth-graders were transported to WOLF after school one day, every other week, to investigate careers related to the natural resources, conservation, entrepreneurship, business and others. Associate Superintendent Justin Herrell said the district plans to offer this option to about 100 eighth-graders this school year by forming four groups, two each semester. “It’s an expansion of the WOLF program, utilizing the resources over there,” Herrell said. — Claudette Riley

More

ADVERTISEMENT

As Springfield Public Schools gears up to expand its “choice” or special programs, questions about access have been raised about one of its most popular options.

The district opened the Wonders of the Ozarks Learning Facility in 2008 with the goal of having a demographic makeup that mirrors the overall student body, meaning roughly one-half of students randomly selected during any given year would be low-income.

But five years after the program started, it’s not yet close.

Board member Andy Hosmer pointed out enrollment of low-income students in the hands-on science, nature and conservation program was just 37 percent last year, while the district’s rate of fifth-grade students receiving free and reduced-price lunches currently stands at 58.3 percent. Over the past five years, the low-income rate has ranged from 21.7 percent to 43.5 percent.

“When WOLF was first brought forward, the discussion that I had with administration is we’re going to make sure that WOLF mirrors the district in socioeconomic status, and WOLF doesn’t,” Hosmer said. “... It doesn’t look like the free and reduced rates we have across the district, so that concerns me.”

That concern is particularly timely because the district wants to add more choice programs in the near future. Board members want to make sure questions about access at WOLF are ironed out, so they aren’t repeated when the new options are launched.

At WOLF, the biggest disparity appears to be in the participation of the district’s poorest students. Across the district, about 45 percent of students come from families with incomes so low they qualify for free school meals, but over the past five years, those students have made up just 13 to 24 percent of the WOLF program.

“There is a problem and we need to address it,” Hosmer said.

“We have an overarching role in making sure there’s equity in the district, and I think we have a role in seeing that choice programs that are open to everyone in town are truly open to anyone.”

WOLF, a partnership with Bass Pro Shops, is open to any incoming fifth-grader who has good attendance and behavior. But, among existing choice programs, it is unique because it uses a random lottery to decide which applications — there have been up to 383 in a single year — get one of the nearly 50 spots.

(Page 2 of 3)

This summer, the district outlined plans to launch new “choice” programs during the 2014-15 year. Two of the planned options are expected to use a lottery process to select application from a particular grade level to attend a one-year program off school property.

Those new options include a health sciences academy for eighth-graders housed at Mercy Hospital and a science, technology, engineering and math academy for fifth-graders at the Discovery Center of Springfield.

While the school board signaled strong support for adding new innovative programs, several did not appear satisfied the district was doing enough to ensure access to WOLF. They want the additional investment — by the district and its community partners — to pay off with higher student engagement and achievement.

Part of the reason questions of access are now plaguing WOLF is because of its resounding success. Test scores and other data tracked since WOLF started shows that participating students — regardless of their background — achieve near-perfect attendance and make significant gains in math, reading and science.

“My concern is who all gets that opportunity,” said new board member Annie Busch. “… It’s not just creating the programs, but making sure they are available to everyone. We need to make sure we have the access.”

"Discrepancy" in socioeconomic makeup

Associate Superintendent Ben Hackenwerth acknowledged there was a “discrepancy” between the socioeconomic makeup of WOLF and the overall district. But he said it’s not clear why.

He noted that a presentation about WOLF is made in every fourth-grade classroom prior to the annual spring sign-up period, and additional information is also sent home with those students.

“What I can’t tell you is why they may not apply,” he said.

Board president Kris Callen said there are innovative programs and learning opportunities throughout the district, and some students would be interested in the WOLF concept while others may not.

“It’s a choice, it’s not what everyone wants,” she said.

(Page 3 of 3)

Hackenwerth said the answer about lower participation may rest with research showing low-income families are less likely to try options outside of their neighborhood.

“Often those families do find comfort in their home schools and in neighborhoods and sometimes accessing programs like this may not be as inviting to some of these families as it is to others,” he said.

Hosmer said he’s not comfortable with the assumption that low-income children aren’t as interested in WOLF.

“Poor kids want to go to WOLF as much as wealthy kids,” he said.

Hackenwerth said the district draws an equal number of boys and girls, but achieving a demographic make-up closer to district demographics likely wouldn’t be possible without manipulating the system.

Demographic information provided the News-Leader shows the minority representation in the program is close to resembling the district. Last year, 15.2 percent of WOLF students were minority compared to 19.6 percent for the entire fifth grade.

Several board members questioned whether a lack of busing was to blame. WOLF, like many other choice programs, requires families to provide transportation to and from school.

Busch said if that’s the problem, the district could reach out to community partners to come up with a solution.

“We can come together to figure it out,” she said.

Hackenwerth said students from 23 different schools attended WOLF last year, and busing to that many locations would be “cost prohibitive.”

He also said board members were making an “assumption” that fewer low-income families may have applied because of a lack of busing, but no review had been conducted to know if that was true.

“There are barriers associated with different programs in different ways,” he said.

Board members were adamant that the administration explore any barriers, including transportation, that could keep low-income families from accessing new or existing choice programs.

District officials said it would make the most sense to do that this coming year, as students are being made aware of the options. They are also planning to take a look at how the information is marketed to families.

Hackenwerth said while the application and lottery process for the new choice programs is expected to be “fairly the same,” tweaks are an option.

“As more of these programs come online we’ll be making some changes to that application process. More options will be available, more choices will be available,” he said.